


absence

by dragonsong (NekoAisu)



Series: FFXIV Minifics [8]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Angst, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Bedside Vigils, Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood Spoilers, Major Character Injury, Other, Patch 4.0: Stormblood Spoilers, Tumblr: ffxivimagines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-23 16:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21084665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoAisu/pseuds/dragonsong
Summary: For the ask:Can I request "didn't realize they were injured" with the Warror of light and Aymeric please. (The warrior being the one injured)





	absence

“Report!”

Aymeric watches troupes of soldiers repeat their exploits and hand in forms. He waits. He watches. The Warrior of Light does not follow.

He rises from his seat of temporary governance to ask after them. Lucia has not seen them. General Aldynn says he last saw them bells ago, heading out the South Gate. The other alliance leaders are either clueless or otherwise unhelpful. They are nowhere to be found.

The siege is not yet to commence. They have a time and place for these things. It must be coordinated. The Warrior they all count on is missing and Aymeric intends to find out why.

He understands the rampant paranoia that settles in before war. He has lived with it (and still does, even with Nidhogg slain) for many a year. He would not begrudge them so simple a need.

But he still worries.

He struggles to work past his anxiety late into the night nearly to morning. They do not arrive.

Even when the troops are assembled and rallying below the many banners, they are far beyond his sight. He waits again. Watches carefully. Prays.

They are found among the many bodies the Garlean prince has decimated, standing proudly even when he bears down against their broken blade. They fight and they fight and they _fight_ until they are struck down for one final time.

And he sees to their rescue with fire and fury to match Estienien’s own. They pull no punches and give no apologies. Not even when the Warrior is tucked safely in a field infirmary bed does Aymeric cease his vigil.

Nor does he when they wake and sit up, blood seeping through their bandages from wounds torn open again, and worry after him. His health and wholeness are paramount, they exclaim, slurring and blinking blearily at him. What on the Fury’s green earth could they possibly be worried about if not him?

He watches them lose steam, watches how the pain filters slowly into their awareness through the filling relief of potions and poultices, and catches them before they fall half off the bed in agony. His touch brings them pain, he knows, but it is better that he assist them back into bed than leave them bent over the short railing. There is nearly nowhere left to grab that is not somehow in disrepair.

“Rest—“

“I… it has been a while,” they say between breaths hissed slowly through their teeth, “since I have been injured.”

Aymeric finds that he both doubts and believes them. He has seen the state hey work themself into for the sake of others and the world at large. They consider something needing stitches to be the same as a paper cut.

To them, injury is one step away from death.

He smooths a hand through their hair when they sneeze and whimper through the aftershocks. He stays with them as they take stock of their body. Slowly. Carefully. With more than one medic on hand to change their bandages and redo popped stitches.

He hopes they make it long enough to recover.

**Author's Note:**

> hmu on:  
tumblr | https://ffxivimagines.tumblr.com/  
twitter | twitter.com/FlamingAceKiri  
discord | NekoAisu#7099


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